If you haven't swung by Gamerankings.com,
I strongly suggest that you do so as soon as you get the chance.
Why? Because Forza Motorsport reviews have begun popping up all
over the world since it seems as though we here in North America are
actually the last people in the world to get the game (Europeans love
their racing games). That being said, the reviews that I have
read so far have been absolutely glowing. The amount of
customization and Xbox Live integration is so much better than I had
originally thought. I know that Richie is pretty much salivating
as well, especially after some of the stuff that he read in those
reviews.
A few of the details that most of the reviews were
really impressed with were the drivatar, which is basically an AI
driver that drives exactly like you do, that you can use in some
races. Think of it as GT4's B-Spec driver, only smart. And
not only does he drive like you, but you can improve him as you
yourself get better at driving in Forza. The one really cool
thing is that you can't just use the drivatar as a free pass in a race
so you don't have to bother with it. No, you actually have to pay
a fee to use your drivatar so you don't just breeze through the game
without actually completing a single race. Very cool stuff, if
you ask me.
Another thing I was amazed at is just how deep the
customization is. I know that Microsoft has been touting the
incredibly deep customization possibilities in Forza since they
unveiled it last year at E3, but wow, I wasn't really expecting
something like this. Apparently each car supports up to 100
layers of decals and paint, so you can really screw a car up and make
it look nasty if you really wanted to. Not only that, but you
also have the option to mirror one side of the car on the other so that
your car looks normal, and not with paint or decals all over the place
on your car, making it look amateurish. Oh yeah, and you can
completely screw with everything under the hood, and every little
upgrade or tweak you make is apparently immediately felt, unlike
another racing sim that just came out.
Like I said earlier, I
could keep going on and on about what I've read about Forza in the last
24 hours, but I think it'd be much better if you all went and read it
for yourself. Team Forza looks like they've struck gold with this
one, and I can't wait for it early next week.
-Jack
